The Sentinel's Chris Harry unveils Sunshine State's best of best

* They were the first AFC dynasty (yes, even before the Steelers), with the '72 squad still the gold-standard as the only unbeaten team in NFL history.

2. 2001

Miami Hurricanes

Record: 12-0

*Armed with 16 future first-round draft picks, this team beat all but one opponent by double digits, finishing with an average victory margin of 33 points.

3. 2002

Tampa Bay Bucs

Record: 15-4

*One of the most interesting teams in NFL history included fascinating characters, starting with Jon Gruden, who led the Bucs by the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

4. 1987

Miami Hurricanes

Record: 12-0

*There was a one-point win at FSU and three wins against top-10 teams to end season. A 20-14 upset of No. 1 Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl clinched title.

5. 1993

FSU Seminoles

Record: 12-1

* They crushed UM 28-10 and defeated Nebraska 18-16 in the Orange Bowl for Bobby Bowden's first title. The lone hiccup came in a 31-24 loss at No. 1 Notre Dame.

6. 1996

Florida Gators

Record: 12-1

*Heisman winner Danny Wuerffel keyed a 52-20 rout of No. 1 FSU for the national title in the Sugar Bowl. Avenged the regular-season loss that knocked UF out of No. 1.

7. 2008

Florida Gators

Record: 13-1

*After losing a one-point home heartbreaker to Ole Miss, Tim Tebow gave "The Promise." UF won 10 straight, topping the run with a second national title in three years.

8. 2004-06

Lakeland

Record: 45-0

*The Dreadnaughts won three straight Class 5A state titles -- scoring 40 or more points 25 times with eight shutouts. Voted national champs in '05 and '06.

9. 1996

Jacksonville Jaguars

Record: 11-8

*The Jags were 4-7 in November, but won five straight for an AFC wild-card berth. Upset Buffalo and Denver on the road to reach the AFC title game and fell at Patriots.

10. 1986

Miami Hurricanes

Record: 11-1

*No. 1 UM, the greatest state college team that didn't win a title, landed in the Arizona desert wearing combat fatigues and lost 14-10 to No. 2 Penn State.

The Greatest Coaches

1. Don Shula

Miami Dolphins (1970-95)

Record: 257-153-2 (.659)

* The NFL's all-time leader in wins (317), he's also the only coach to guide a NFL team through a perfect season. The '72 Dolphins went 17-0 and won a second straight Super Bowl in '73.

2. Bobby Bowden

Florida State (1976-present)

Record: 309-91-4 (.770)

* He masterfully capitalized on rival Florida's NCAA troubles in the '80s to build one of college football's premier programs, winning national titles in 1993 and '99. His 382 career wins trails Penn State's Joe Paterno by just one.

* Made the Bandits one of the USFL's most explosive teams then returned to his alma mater and overnight built the Gators into the giant so many always feared it could become. He left with six SEC titles in 12 years, plus the '96 national crown (a blowout of rival FSU, no less).

4. Urban Meyer

Florida (2005-present)

Record: 44-9 (.830)

* Meyer brought bravado and an imaginative offense to Gainesville and has won two SEC and two national championships in just four seasons. No state coach has ever done so much so quickly.

* Inherited a treasure trove of talent at UM -- and added to it -- but needed four seasons to win his first national title. Johnson had an eye for pro-style talent (which he proved to everyone as coach of the Dallas Cowboys).

6. Tony Dungy

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

(1996-2001)

Record: 56-46 (.549)

* One of the most respected coaches in sport's history took the Bucs -- arguably the worst pro sports franchise in America -- to its first playoff berth in 15 years a year after becoming the NFL's third African-American head coach. He kept the club in the postseason four of his final five seasons.

7. Howard Schnellenberger

University of Miami (1979-83) and Florida Atlantic (2001-08)

Record: UM: 41-16 (.719); FAU: 48-48 (.500); Overall: 89-54 (.622)

* He started the run of championships in Coral Gables with the epic upset of top-ranked Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, only to bolt for a job in the USFL (though he'd never coach a game in the upstart league). Now at FAU, his Owls have won back-to-back bowl games.

8. Bill Castle

Lakeland High (1976-present)

Record: Lakeland -- 322-75 (.811)

* Working on his fourth decade at the Polk County powerhouse, Castle has led the Dreadnaughts to six championships, including three straight from 2004-06.

9. Ray Graves

Florida (1960-69)

Record: 71-34-4 (.670)

* His preference for the passing game (over the single wing or options) helped lure Spurrier from Tennessee and made the Gators one of the most exciting college teams of the 60s.